Disclaimer: I only own my OCs.
Pandimala:...So, how did it taste?
Authoress: *confused* How did what taste?
Pandimala: *vents* The cabbage steak!
Authoress: *shocked* You are still on about that?
Pandimala: Yes! And I want to know how it tasted!
Authoress: *shrugs* It was alright, but I prefer to steam it.
Knockout: *peeks in* So, you can cook?
P.A.N.: And here is where I respond to a guest review!
Thank you so much for the review, Dragon blupe! First off, I am so sorry that I am responding to this officially so late. I got tied up with copying my works to AO3, and then work started to pull my focus. In response, though, I'm glad my explanations for the way the humans changed made sense. It really did worry me the route I was taking with them.
As for Optimus and Bumblebee's situation, it will eventually be explained. However, I write my stories with slow-burn plots that may not be resolved until much further down the road (possibly into the next installment even). And I will admit that their behavior is the result of a plot point that I cannot share right now, for it will spoil the surprise. For now, bots will mostly just question the strangeness of the decision or be mad about it, but for now, Cybertron will not be in much, if any, focus. However, I promise that their behavior will be explained.
Chapter 8: Specialties
Pandimala's 1st P.O.V.
I couldn't keep the smile off my faceplate as I watched the families reunite. They had waited so long for this moment; now that it was here, they weren't wasting any time. Miko and her host father were rambling with each other about her bot aesthetic, and every so often, Joe would have a panic attack as Miko tried to show off her weapons. Thankfully, the most I had to watch with Raf was making sure the siblings didn't try to climb Raf's chassis. Like Soundwave's chassis, it wasn't easy for the average human to climb it. Possible? Yes. But not easy in the slightest. While Pilar, Antonio, and Gabe were behaving alright, the same could not be said for Paloma and the twins, Roberto and Gregorio.
Of course, the five were generally enjoying being allowed together. While they had met a couple of times before this, it wasn't for long, given certain stresses. June and Fowler were talking in the back of the room about various topics, from what I kept overhearing. Jack seemed to be taking the chance to catch up on some rest, given that he was in recharge against the wall to my right. Given that the mech was having to work extra hard since he had fewer bots able to train him because he still only accepted training from Autobots, I was surprised he even came down to this.
I focused back on Raf and let out a light vent as Paloma tried to shimmy her way up Raf's leg. "We talked about this," I pointed out as I plucked her off of the leg in question.
The twenty-year-old huffed but didn't resist as I moved her back onto the viewing platform. "I already said I would be fine."
The moving chancla that impacted the girl's head said otherwise. "Paloma Sofia Esquivel, if that nice femme has to tell you one more time to keep to yourself, I swear you won't be seeing daylight for a year!" Raf's mama was right on point.
Paloma, in return, rubbed her head with a frown. "Yeesh, sorry, mama." She turned away from her mama and muttered, "Surprised you can still move that fast."
"What was that mija?"
"Nothing!"
A small laugh escaped me as they refocused on talking with Raf. It was nice seeing such a regular interaction. With all of the craziness that my existence had turned into, it seemed almost strange to see something like that. While we still had the danger of MECH looming over us, these moments would keep all of us grounded in the fight ahead. And remind us that, despite everything, family would be the most important thing we fought for.
Family.
Sadness crept into my spark as I thought about my family—well, the family I had. Mom and I were closer than most mothers and daughters were in my school. There were plenty of times that I'd hear them screaming and fighting over the stupidest things, threatening each other. While Mom and I had our disagreements, I would have given up the world for her. She worked so hard for me after that scumbag father of mine skipped out on her when he found something 'better'. Mom worked two jobs and still had time to take care of me and make sure I had everything I asked for.
And, to give her a better, happier life, I had sacrificed everything. While I had been helping Paul, the real seller was that mom would be happy. Not only would she be happy, but she would also live the life that she deserved. For all the hard work that she did in raising me by herself, I would have given a hundred times more.
But just because I knew she was happy didn't mean that I didn't feel pain at times like this when everyone else could be so close to their families. I couldn't go and see mom, introduce her to Knockout, and show her the kind of being I have grown into. A wave of melancholy washed over me as I stared at the families there. They were so lucky that their families were here with them.
"You have me, Pandimala." I only jumped a little as Knockout suddenly appeared next to me.
"I was broadcasting again?" I asked him.
My bondmate nodded and leaned against me, tracing my wing with his servo. "I would have liked to meet your carrier. From your memories alone, I could tell she was a woman who knew what she wanted."
A smile twitched onto my faceplate at that. "She was. I wouldn't be the femme I am this solar without her."
Knockout leaned into me a little more at that. "Then I shall be grateful to her until the solar I offline." He then nudged me. "But like I said before, my spark, you have me. And I'm not the only one. You have the old spirit in your helm, Paul, and all of us here. We are your family now and will try our best to live up to your mom's example."
"Thank you, K.O., for reminding me." I then let out a small laugh. "I can be a little forgetful at times."
He smirked at that. "Most times, 'Mala. But that is why you have the perfect bondmate, me." My wings twitched slightly as he started to walk his digits up the edge of them. "And that is why you love me."
"Get a room!"
We all laughed as Gregorio and Roberto yelled that out at the same time. We weren't even being that bad. Well, for us, that is. Were we being bad enough for two eighteen-year-olds? Maybe. Of course, with that last action there, Knockout might have wanted it to go a little further. Maybe later, though. For now, this was about them. We would have all the time we could want once we got rid of MECH.
THWACK! THWACK!
Mama Esquivel stood behind the boys, chancla in hand and a frustrated look on her face. "Gregorio Sebastian Esquivel and Roberto Santiago Esquivel, one more comment out of you two, and I will make sure you two won't be able to sit for a century!"
Paul's 1st P.O.V.
I felt nervous as I waited for Pandimala to arrive at this meeting about the five. Thankfully, the meeting this solar between Miko, Raf, and their families had gone really well. Honestly, it went even better than expected. We expected Miko to cause a lot more chaos than she did. Of course, it hadn't gone perfectly. While I had been distracted, keeping the twins from climbing on Raf, Paloma had gone all in and jumped from the ledge toward Raf. While Raf was thankfully able to catch her, he wasn't perfect at catching humans yet. No broken bones, but she would be sore for at least a week.
Of course, the beating Raf's mama gave the poor girl when Raf helped her down probably didn't help any.
No, that meeting went well, all things considered. I was worried because I was sure this meeting would be about a topic I was nervous about teaching the five. Well, that teaching plus a couple of things. The first thing I was worried about was something trivial but something they would have to decide on sooner rather than later: their names.
Technically, Pandimala had years before her transformation to think of designations that would fit her. Even when she was changed, she hesitated to take the designation that matched her appearance. These five would have a lot less time to think of it. Even if they had been thinking of ideas since meeting the bots, that would only give June and the kids just over a year and Folwer only a little longer.
My second worry was their mod training. While they had preliminary training to learn how to suppress them, especially in Miko's and Fowler's case, we would have to train them to use those abilities soon. MECH wasn't going to stay quiet for long, and the better trained we had our bots, the better they could defend themselves.
We weren't naive. Given the success of MECH's testing on the five, they likely created more. Those newsparks would have their own abilities and, unlike our five, hold at least some loyalty to MECH. And, while we had a couple of human agents inside MECH's fold, they weren't nearly as high up or as numerous as the MECH agents in our base were. With some already confirmed and more suspicions out there, we couldn't waste a nano.
It was one key advantage our training would have, despite everything, that I was worried about training.
"Everyone here?" Pandimala asked as she walked inside.
While each of the five had different trainers at different times, two bots were assigned to them as their official trainers. Those ten bots, plus Prowl, Pandimala, and the rest of the medics, were here with me and General Bryce to discuss these topics.
Knockout nodded. "You were the last one, 'Mala."
She had a slightly guilty look spread on her faceplate. "Sorry about that. Fowler had questions that he thought I could answer best."
Once she was settled, Prowl stepped forward. "I'm sure you all know some of the topics I want us to discuss this solar. It would be wise to get the most controversial one out of the way right now. Are the five prepared to get alt modes and start that training along with more advanced training?"
There it was.
Alt modes, and going into one, changed your entire perception of the area around you. Bots had to have mental focus to ensure they didn't crash their systems or get stuck. The changing sensation in transformation could cause issues for younglings just learning. These were adult-framed bots who were going to be going through this. Pandimala, luckily for her, had gone through an entire dimension shift to a reality that she believed to be fake most of her existence. So, the changes that came after her transformation and the transformation itself were easy for her to overcome.
For these five, it would be much more challenging.
However, transformation was a basic right that these five had now, and it would be negligent to refuse them training. What we also had to consider, however, was whether they were ready for the strain that this training would put on their processors. It was why both their medics and their trainers were here. They would all be able to bring the information needed to make the decision.
"Miko is more than ready," Wheeljack spoke up. He and Blitzwing were her primary trainers, and the femme had been excelling. Even her systems training had been booming as of late. She had a flexible processor, and that was helping her in the long run. Even though the advanced training hadn't officially started yet, I knew that Wheeljack and Blitzwing had been sneaking in specified physical training once their regular training routine was done. Her other trainers were seeing the improvements as well, from what I had witnessed the few times I had been able to watch her training.
Joe, her primary medic, stepped forward at that. "I agree with Wheeljack. Miko's systems are in perfect health, and she can already access her subspace at the speed one would need in battle." Really? I hadn't realized the femme was that far in her systems training, especially since she had been struggling with it before. "However, I will say that she will need to be monitored closely at first. Her excitement may cause her flight issues in the beginning. I'd suggest pairing her with Thundercracker, given he grew up working with Skywarp of all mechs."
That was a sound plan. He was right in saying that Miko would probably have stability issues, given that humans weren't built to fly on their own. However, I was sure it wouldn't take the femme long to overcome that issue when it did come up. Once trained, Miko would be a terror in the skies against all who were against her. Between her weapons and the bots willing to train her, she had great chances of succeeding in her existence.
The next to step up were Skywarp and Soundwave, Raf's trainers. "We think Raf is ready as well," Soundwave spoke deliberately. "He has made great improvements in his interactions with us over these weeks of training. Raf communicates with us when he is having trouble and can be trusted to move forward."
Skywarp nodded. "Yeah, and ever since Soundwave started more training with him, the mech is getting harder to fight with during regular combat training."
Soundwave was doing combat training with Raf? I thought that was Skywarp's responsibility in that group. Not that I was upset since neither of them would act without Raf's permission, but it was something I was not expecting to hear. Soundwave wasn't the easiest mech to work with during physical training. His history in the Pits spoke on that. With that information, Miko would have a challenge in the young mech once he was done training with Soundwave.
"You are training him in fighting as well?" Prowl asked the mech in surprise.
Pandimala stepped forward at that point. "Soundwave came to me when Raf asked him to train him. His interaction with Jack the one time spurred him into action, making him realize that he will need training even more if he has to go against bots of Jack's build or large. Health-wise, Raf has been more than ready for the advanced training, and subsequent checks reveal that he has not been affected negatively by the stricter training." She then paused. "As for his alt-mode situation, he is also medically ready for that. Working with Skywarp and Soundwave, along with Thundercracker when he has had time, has helped his confidence grow. I've already spoken to Soundwave about the possibility of Raf getting an alt mode, and he has agreed to work primarily with him since they will likely have highly similar alt modes."
Slag, I wasn't ready for that. Raf was taking to this training much better than I thought he would. Of course, I hadn't seen his training sessions since that fateful solar Jack barged in. I hadn't seen the effect that it had on Raf until now. With Pandimala, who had been worried about Raf since she discovered him in that warehouse, agreeing to this meant that the mech was much further than I thought.
"What about Fowler?" Prowl asked the bots in question.
Scattershot and Warpath shared a glance before Scattershot spoke. "He's moving steadily. There are not so many leaps and bounds like the others, but he has his helm straight. Plus, given his past, he started at an advantage, so his training is more focused on terminology that he will need to know. Physically, he is sound enough to start moving through the process."
Knockout then motioned to himself. "And that brings us to me. The mech's health is surprisingly good, given his age as a human. Systems have held up with the training he has been receiving, and I suspect he will be able to keep pace with his alt-mode training…once the technical aspects are explained. I endorse the mech to receive an alt mode and recommend Hound for that training. Fowler has responded well to the mech's easier way of explaining our systems, and they both seem to get along alright."
We all then glanced at Red Alert and Chromia, who were June's trainers, and Red Alert was her medic as well. Red Alert took charge and spoke. "June is fine to receive her alt mode. She has been receptive to training, and that openness will allow her to work with those available to train her. Springer is the best choice, given that he also has a bladed aerial mode, but he won't be able to work with her all the time. Any flier available at those times should be able to work with the femme. Medically, the femme has been improving since our previous trouble with her systems. Her lessons are going extremely well, and she may soon see the field in a support role. However, that will not happen until her alt mode training is complete."
Chromia nodded. "Plus, her physical training has been going very well, given where we started. She doesn't hold back anymore, and I think she will progress even more once she understands the systems that work with her alt mode. Given what I have seen from most of the other reports, she is one of the furthest behind, though that is not a detriment given the other femme."
Yeah, it was hard to compare anybot to Miko in terms of accomplishment during all of this. However, from what I was hearing, Raf was up there with the femme. It would be interesting to see them together in a training session. While Miko was driven to learn like I had never seen, Raf seemed determined to grow and learn about his new chassis to the point where he could be deadly against his enemies.
Of course, there was still one more newspark that needed to be talked about, and it wouldn't be easy. "And then there is Jack," Inferno started as he pulled up his report. "When the mech can focus on the training we give him, he does well. He's not behind in that sense but doesn't seem as dedicated as the others. Honestly, he still seems more worried about what the others are doing in their training than his training." The mech then shook his helm. "Physically, though, I don't see a reason not to support his chance to get an alt mode now."
"Mentally on the other servo," Red Alert jumped back in since she was also his medic. "His prejudice to those who are not Autobots is a serious factor that we must debate about. Once the mech gets an alt mode, he may decide to venture away from the base in a fit of anger or frustration, and until MECH can be dealt with, that could put him in danger. We already saw how he reacted to situations outside his control without an alt mode," Yeah, terribly. "Once we start to train him in his alt mode, there will be problems."
"But, we can't deny him the right to learn to transform," Pandimala spoke. I knew she had been keeping her distance from Jack since the incident a few weeks ago, and for her to speak up for him was a surprise. "It would do more damage to his systems for him to try without supervision, which he would if we allowed the others to learn while he couldn't. I'm not the mech's biggest fan, and he hasn't earned the right, but we can't deny him that either."
The room fell silent as Pandimala's words hung in the air. While Red Alert was correct, Pandimala made a very valid point. Since it was hard to keep the training routines secret from the five when we had them separate, as shown when Jack showed up for Raf's training, it wasn't farfetched to realize that the mech would find out sooner rather than later that the others would be training their alt modes while he was restricted. It was a difficult situation, but a choice had to be made.
Prowl, who seemed to be the mediator in this situation, finally spoke. "I agree with both of you. I think the mech is not mature enough to have the training. However, denying him the training when we will allow the others to have it would be more detrimental to the mech in the long run." He then paused. "One of the problems we will have is that the mech demands to work with only Autobots. As we stand currently, there is only one Autobot who can relate to Jack's size: Springer. However, he is our best choice to train June, and her training should not be hindered because her creation has made this demand."
There were a few clicks of silence before Inferno spoke up. "I think I would be the next Autobot closest in size to the mech. While his attitude lately has been difficult, I would be willing to give him the necessary lessons to learn about his alt mode."
And this was the result of Jack burning his bridges. His refusal to work with the Decepticons and neutrals had started to get to the point where the Autobots here, who trusted the Decepticons, were beginning to refuse to work with him. After the stunt with Raf, Wheeljack outright refused to help him anymore. A few solars later, Jack's anger at the Decepticons helping with training caused Ironhide to say the same. There were many tricks that bots could have when it came to their alt modes, and most of those came with many trial-and-error attempts. Trials that they could have saved Jack if he had been more cooperative.
However, he made his bed. While we understood that this had been traumatizing for him, it wasn't nearly to the point of the other two kids. He at least had his mom with him. Miko's host parents, who cared for her just as much as the femme's actual parents, could only stand by and be moral support as Miko had her ups and downs, though thankfully, she had more ups. And then there was Raf. The poor kid was only thirteen when MECH did this to him, forcing him to grow up far faster than he should have. While I knew that MECH was the only one to blame for what happened, I sometimes felt the same guilt that Pandimala felt when I saw the mech struggling. And, like Miko's host parents, his family wasn't there to help him through everything he was going through…to understand the struggles that he was going through.
That was why Pandimala was trying so hard to be that bot for all of them and encouraging their medics and trainers to be patient with them. However, every being had a breaking point, and Jack had pushed many of the bots here on base to that point. To prevent them from taking it out on the mech, they just refused to work with him anymore. Instead, they increased their patrols, and more scouting parties were sent out to track where Prometheus and MECH had fled.
"If you're sure, Inferno," Prowl checked with the mech before he addressed the rest of us. "Then we will have all five of them meet early tomorrow morning. Medics, inform the five when they come to you for their end-of-solar checkups. This way, they can mentally prepare for the choice they will have to make. Now, let's move on to the next order of business."
As they spoke to each other about the five choosing new designations, I allowed my mind to wander. Things were changing. I could almost feel the tensions in the air. Between the MECH infiltrators here at the base, the internal turmoil we were having with Jack, and Prometheus having multiple attack points, I felt as if we were missing something. There was some part of his plan that we weren't seeing.
Prometheus wasn't like Silas. He took chances, and made risky moves if they could increase the odds of the outcome being in his favor. Silas had been the one to take few, if any, chances. He was methodical, precise, and was almost always in complete control. It was one of his few risks, merging with Breakdown's offline chassis, that sealed his fate. Our situation would have been far worse if he hadn't done that. Even more, we might not have found the five so easily.
My human rival should have attacked by now…done something. But instead, he was staying in the shadows. It wasn't like him, and it concerned me. Either he had a complete character change, or he was planning something expansive. The second option seemed the most likely, and if he were planning something, it would not be just one attack. It would be a multi-directional attempt that would span days. He would have evey iota of data he would need to move forward.
If we did not fix the problems we faced soon, Prometheus would crush us.
Fanzone's 1st P.O.V.
"So, how's it feel to be cleared?" I asked Captain Lennox as he stood next to me.
The young man let out a sigh before he spoke. "It feels like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders I didn't even realize was there." He then shook his head. "I'll be honest with you: with how long they have been taking to investigate us, I was worried that someone on my team was a traitor. No one in particular, but the amount of time they are taking on these investigations means they have to have someone."
I nodded at that. "I'm honestly surprised that my team, of all the teams, got cleared so quickly. I knew that none of us were traitors, but with my team, it isn't as easy to see that." That was especially knowing some of their pasts. But Lennox didn't need to know about that if he didn't already. One in particular had earned the chance to start over.
"No offense," Something told me I knew where he was going with this. "But I was surprised to hear that your team was already cleared. They seemed to throw all of the mentally unstable men together in one unit and stuck you with them."
"And there is no one else I would rather be with," Those psychos were the best troops out there, and even with all of the hair they were causing me to lose, I wouldn't trust anyone as much as I did those idiots. "All that aside, though, I think the only reason we were cleared so quickly is because Thundercracker was suspicious of us before he even walked in the room. He kept his optics locked on us when the mission could afford it. It was annoying at the time, but being here now, I'm glad he did."
There was silence between us for a few moments before Lennox cleared his throat. "While I'm glad our teams passed, have you noticed any weird behavior from the other teams?"
Thinking back to my talk with Thundercracker, I nodded. "Yeah, there were some strange things. During the mission to retrieve the five, my team joined some of the others once we found the first bot. But, not all of there members stayed together. For a mission as sensitive as this one was, it was weird that they had wandered off."
Lennox's eyes widened at that. "That is a little off. I'll have my guys keep an ear to the ground and see if they can find anything else." He then shook his head. "Off of that subject, did you hear that the five are getting their alt modes? Ironhide was telling me about it earlier."
Yeah, I heard about it. I had talked to Pandimala earlier, and she said it would happen. She told me about her worries about it. "Yeah, Pandimala told me. It's supposed to be happening early tomorrow. She's pretty nervous about how everything is going to go. But, I think they'll have a pretty good hand on the situation."
But Pandimala seemed very worried about the situation. Of course, given that one blowup from Jack, she had a right to be. Even though those five went through a horrible ordeal, it was easy to forget that, a little over a year ago, Pandimala was in their metal feet. Cliffjumper told me that she had struggled during those first few months, even though she didn't let most of them know it, and she didn't have nearly the training these five were getting. They were at war when she changed, and little time could be spared to teach her lessons outside the basics. She had to learn a lot on her own.
"Yeah, Ironhide's been keeping me updated about that situation as well," Lennox agreed. "Jack had best be careful with her. Not many bots are willing to work with him, and he won't work with anybot who isn't an Autobot. That's going to limit his growth moving forward. And when he notices that there is an obvious gap between him and the others, it won't end well."
That was one way of putting it. Thankfully for Pandimala, the mech was close to finishing his basic lessons outside this alt-mode training. If he caused too much trouble, at least they would have done what they could for him. Seriously, you would think that the kid would have some semblance of reasoning when it came to this. Trauma was a part of living; no one could avoid it forever. It hit everyone differently. While we didn't know all of what MECH did to them, he needed to move forward, even if it was slowly.
"Enough of that for now," I was done with the negative thoughts that topic was bringing up. "Let's see if we can get more PT in for our teams. If you want, we can even run them together."
Lennox shrugged his shoulders. "Sounds good to me. I'll run over and gather the rest of my team. Meet at the north entrance in an hour?"
"See you then."
Knockout's 1st P.O.V.
The goal this solar was to make sure that no one was offline or killed.
Shouldn't be too hard, all things considered. Just watch the newsparks pick their alt modes, possibly pick names as well, and then back they all go to their corners of the base for training. Simple. Of course, when it came to anything with this disaster, that might be hoping for too much.
Of course, we had brought our own troubles with us. As much as we were facing now, I knew that our trouble would come for us one solar, and I was going to be ready for it. I didn't regret freeing Paul from that fragging tower. He was treated less than any being should. Isolated. Alone. And his voice, which should have inspired Cybertron after I thought I lost Pandimala, was silenced. He was turned into a display, something for the average bot to gawk at.
Honestly, I didn't even try to rescue him before Pandimala returned. I had been so wrapped up in the pain that losing her had brought that I didn't even think about how the Council was tarnishing her legacy. She fought, she offlined, to ensure that Cybertron had a brighter future moving forward…that the rights of all sentient beings were upheld…until all were one. It didn't matter to her what your origins were. Autobot, Decepticon, neutral…frag; she would have probably opened her arms to Quintessons if they genuinely wanted to be a part of the peace that she had offlined for. Instead, there was only a little time after her offlining that I allowed myself to hope for that peace.
Then, that fragging Council was placed, and everything started to fall apart. The restrictions on movement they placed on Decepticons returning to Cybertron who were not a part of the fight against Unicron…that should have been my first sign that she had offlined in vain. But I was too blind to see it. She was gone, and I couldn't move past the fact that I would never see her again.
But fate worked in strange ways. Pandimala was returned to us…to me, and I was given hope again. She helped us focus, and we devised a plan to free Paul from his prison. We gathered those who supported us and would be coming to Earth, and we set our plans into motion. We freed Paul, and we made sure that we covered our tracks. Would they find us one solar? Yes. Once they exhausted their search options, they would turn their optics to Earth. And they would find us. At that time, we had to be ready.
And that meant that we had to get these five ready for the trouble that was on the horizon. First, we would deal with MECH once and for all. Then, we would prepare ourselves for the solar when somebot came for us. Once Cybertron found us, we would be ready to defend Paul. If that constituted a fight, then so be it. I was through being on the sideline. I allowed myself to be placed in that position when Pandimala offlined, and it had cost Paul. But I didn't blame myself, at least not anymore.
"Alright, I'm going to assume you five know why you are here," General Bryce spoke as he stepped forward. "But, just in case you slept through that announcement, I'll remind you. Your trainers and medics have agreed that you five have progressed enough to receive alt modes and begin your training with those."
"Frag yes!" I shook my helm as Miko yelled that out. She had been ready for an alt mode the longest and had been practically pulsing with impatience for this click to arrive.
"Is this really the time for that, Miko?"
My optics quickly moved to Jack as the young mech spoke up. He was still on thin ground with me after he blamed Pandimala for what they went through. If he caused problems during this, then I would not hold back this time; trauma be fragged.
'Easy Knockout,' My spark felt soothed as Pandimala's voice came over our bond. 'I'm sure you won't have to step in. But I appreciate the thought all the same.'
'Anytime, sweetspark,' I smirked as her wings slightly twitched at that. Sometimes, it was a little too easy to get her going…something I took great satisfaction in.
"Enough, Jack," His carrier spoke up, a tired look on her faceplate. She had been trying to soothe all of the ruffled plating that Jack's attitude was causing, which seemed to be taking a toll on her. I would have to suggest a recovery power down for her after this was done.
While Jack looked like he was going to argue with his carrier, he seemed to decide to keep his thoughts to himself. Good. This would be a momentous solar for the five of them, and he must have realized that trying to bring up his normal slag now would not help him in the long run. I guess you really could teach a stubborn bot new tricks.
"Continuing on," Bryce continued as he motioned to the monitor below him. "We have gathered technical scan data on virtually every vehicle on this planet, and your allies have volunteered scan data on a few that are not in our systems. From those options, you can choose your alternate modes. Once you have successfully scanned your alternate mode, you may declare your new designation if you have chosen one. Your trainers have reported that all five of you have selected a designation. Whether you choose to declare your designation or not, once that period passes, you will be assigned your first trainers for your alternate mode training." His face then took on a stern look. "There will be no transforming without clearance from your trainers." His look moved to Miko as he said that. "Otherwise, your medics have been given full clearance to lock down your…" He then seemed to pause, a look of concentration on his face.
"T-cogs," Paul whispered to the man. While I couldn't hear him, I could read the god's lips, and the word was easy enough to identify from here.
In turn, the General continued. "Yes, your medics have been given full clearance to lock down your t-cogs until you are mature enough to continue." He then relaxed. "Now, you didn't come here to hear me lecture you all night." He then motioned to Fowler. "Bill, we'll start with you and continue oldest to youngest."
The mech nodded toward his friend before he stepped forward toward the monitor. His brown plating held scuffs from his training sessions. Unfortunately, the mech wouldn't let me buff those out for him—stubborn mech. I could have made those dark green accents shine. But, this was their night. I wouldn't stand in the way. "Sounds like a plan, John," Fowler responded to the man. It was still strange to hear the human's voice coming out of his vocals. Maybe after he chose his designation, it would be easier. His orange optics scanned the database in front of him. From how he was typing, he had a specific vehicle in processor.
'Five credits that it is American made,'
My optic ridge raised slightly as those words came over the bond. So, she was going to make this interesting. But I knew a losing bet when I saw it. 'That's obvious, femme. How about five credits saying it is from the last ten stellars?'
Indecision trickled over the bond before she responded. 'Deal.'
Oh, this was getting interesting indeed. I watched with more focus as Fowler seemed to stop on a file. "This is it," He then hesitated before scanning the file. Soon, his chassis shifted to accommodate the new scan data he entered. From the look of his chassis, the mech had chosen a hauler to change into.
"So, what did you pick?" Miko asked. Thank Primus for the impulsivity of that femme…not that I would ever allow her to know that I was currently thankful for that trait in her.
After his chassis was finished moving about, Fowler turned back to them. "Had to go with a 1971 F-250 Highboy," Slag, Pandimala got me on that one. "It was the first vehicle my pops let me practice driving." Sure, I lost to sentimentality. Slagger. I could feel the amusement from Pandimala leaking over the bond. "As for my designation, I've decided to be called Freelancer from now on."
Fowl…Freelancer seemed sure in that designation. While there was no doubt that his military background brought upon that designation, I was curious as to how he would make it his own. Designations held meaning. It was why bots would change theirs after their first declaration. Megatron had even changed his from Megatronous. But something told me that the mech was set in his designation.
Once Freelancer said his designation, Bryce took back over. "Very well, Freelancer. The bot training you will be Hound. He will work with Scattershot and Warpath to make sure you get your alternate mode training while you continue your systems and combat training." He then turned to the next bot. "Mrs. Darby, you are up next."
The sea green femme walked forward, her inherently bright white and yellow markings shining off the lights as she did. Once she was stopped in front of the console, she hesitated slightly before going in. 'Five credits says that she picks a civilian mode,' Pandimala spoke as the newspark continued to look through the database.
While my femme had been correct in her first guess, something told me she might be wrong. 'I'll take that bet. Something tells me she will go with a military model.'
Our talking settled as we waited. June seemed to be indecisive about something she was looking at. What, I wasn't sure, but none of us would interrupt this moment. It was an important click in her existence, and she had to make the choice on her own. Finally, after five clicks of indecision, she spoke. "I'll go with the Bell 525 helicopter."
'So, did I win or did you?' I asked my bondmate.
I could feel indecision over the bond. 'We'll call that a tie.' Fair enough, but I was still down five credits. Slag that was scrap.
Once the shifting of metal completed for the femme's new alt mode data, June turned back toward us. Her light blue optics seemed to shine with determination. "From this solar forward, I will be known as Morphia." Morphia. It was easy to tell that the femme had taken time to think of her new designation, especially compared to how long it took her to choose her alt mode. As with Freelancer's designation, Morphia's fit her.
"Very well," This time, Red Alert spoke up. I could see that Jack was tense as his carrier was spoken to. "Morphia, you will be receiving alt mode training from Springer, and he will work with me and Chromia to make sure that this training works with your other training."
Morphia nodded toward the medic before she returned to where she was standing. As she did, though, I noticed her rotors twitch slightly. She must have been nervous about the process. Now that she had her alt mode selected, her rotors would give away her emotions as Pandimala's wings gave her away.
'Thankfully for me, dearest one, you are easy to read even without an easily noticeable tell,' I smirked over at Pandimala as she sent that. It wasn't my fault she had her emotions broadcasting over her wings. A pulse of annoyance came across the bond at that. 'We need to focus for now. Jack's up.'
At her words, my optics moved the mech as he moved forward. Red Alert had called him forward during our talk, and thankfully, he didn't seem to be about to cause any trouble. Honestly, the mech looked nervous. Good. He was barely ready for this, and the only reason we were signing off on his progressing forward was because we didn't want him inhibiting the other training sessions. But, he had better watch himself. This was the last mandatory training we had to give him, and he was burning his bridges fast.
It didn't take Jack long to go through the database. When he finished his scan, his dark blue plating started to shift, causing the light gray and white accents to shift along his changing form. In the end, he stood as an imposing figure, if I was to be honest. Though, I would never tell the mech that to his faceplate. His blue optics seemed to study the room before he spoke. "I went with the 2014 International Prostar." When his optics stopped slightly on Miko and Raf, I caught a flash of what looked like jealousy move across them. Was he upset that he couldn't fly? Honestly, flying wasn't all that it was cracked up to be. However, I could admit that the euphoria my mate would send during her flights at the freedom it gave her was sometimes intoxicating. However, I much preferred my tires to be solid on the ground.
'Someone is trying to earn favor with me,' Pandimala's voice rang over the bond, though I could feel her nervousness at the situation.
To help her get away from that feeling, I responded quickly. 'That depends, is it working?'
'Always,'
I held onto the feeling of pride that went through my systems that her answer gave me as the mech continued to speak. "And from now on, my designation is Romanus."
A brief feeling of concern came over the bond at the designation the mech chose. While I wanted to ask her about it, we needed to focus for now. With Romanus having chosen his designation and scanning his alt mode, there would be no reason for him to continue behaving.
"Very well, Romanus," Prowl spoke up. "You will receive alt mode training from Inferno, and he will work with Springer when the mech is not working with your carrier to ensure you continue forward in your training." I guess Prowl was the best mech to speak to the mech during this. It was important that each newspark be addressed by a different bot during this. It would give each one a sense of individuality that we hoped would reduce the chances of trouble brewing.
But I couldn't dwell on that long as Wheeljack took over. Fraggin Wrecker was almost as excited for this as the terror herself was. "And next is my fellow Wrecker, Miko."
"Frag, yeah!" Miko cheered as she moved forward. Despite her optimistic personality, the femme's plating was rather dark. Mostly black, with just enough white accenting her main chassis to accentuate her frame. Of course, her helm had pink accents, which seemed to reflect her hair decoration from back when she was human. Something else striking about the femme was that she had sharp red optics, which many Decepticons would have been envious of back in the solar. Not quite as striking as mine, but enviable nonetheless.
'That sounds like denial, my spark,'
I felt a pang of light betrayal toward my bonded. 'You think her optics are more stunning than mine?'
Pandimala's amusement flooded the bond. 'Not in the slightest. All I said was that you came across as being in denial.'
While I wished to continue our banter more, the femme was walking up to the monitor. "I already know what I'm picking." And sure enough, it took her less than a click to pull up and scan the data she was looking for. As her chassis shifted to accommodate her new form, I realized the femme had not held back in her options. The power and grace that seemed to exude from her armor alone told me that the femme would truly be a terror in the skies. "The F-35 Lightning II was just calling my designation!" From how Pandimala's optics widened, my bondmate didn't even think the femme would go for that. I'd have to ask her about that later. For now, I focused as the femme continued to talk. "And, of course, I have a designation ready. From now on, I am going to be known as Lunarblaze."
"Alright, Lunarblaze," Wheeljack moved right into talking. "For your alt training, we will have you working with Thundercracker." A small vent came from Romanus's direction, but thankfully, that was all. So, I ignored the mech as Wheeljack continued. "He'll coordinate with Blitzwing and me to make sure that your training keeps moving forward." The Wrecker was practically beaming with pride at the femme. Honestly, I felt sorry for Thundercracker. He was going to be the only mature one in that lot.
'It's Raf's turn next,' I could feel the nervousness coming from Pandimala. While Soundwave would present this opportunity to the young mech, given how close they had grown since Raf's training started, Pandimala still felt concerned for the mech.
So, as the dutiful bondmate, I had to ease her concerns. 'He will do fine, my spark. How about we make a bet on him? The winner gets a full detailing session from the other?'
While I still felt nervousness through the bond, that was mostly overshadowed by the joy my offer seemed to give her. 'What are we betting on?'
I felt a shock of excitement travel through my chassis as her voice sounded in my spark. 'His alt mode, of course. I bet he goes with a low-altitude mode. You?'
For the first time, I felt nervous as confidence flooded in from her side of the bond. 'Very well. I'll take that bet. I bet he won't even use the database.'
Something told me I just made a colossal mistake in my bet choice.
"Raf," Soundwave started, speaking distinctly and precisely as he motioned the young mech forward.
With confidence that I wasn't used to seeing in the mech, Raf moved forward. His visor was up, so the determined look on his faceplate matched the confidence that he moved with. He was ready for this solar. Despite the young newspark's timidness when he was human, his training seemed to have removed most of that from him. "Soundwave, may I use the scan data you have for your alt mode?"
'Glitch, you knew,' I huffed at my bondmate.
Pandimala let amusement come through the bond as she answered me. 'You seem so surprised. Raf wasn't sure if asking a bot to use the same scans they did was proper, especially if they modified those scans as Soundwave did. So, he came to me and asked if it would be acceptable to do so.' She then paused. 'Since I knew it was coming, you don't have to do the detailing session if you don't want to, sweetspark.'
Like she was getting out that easily. 'Nonsense. I'm going to give you the best detailing you've ever received. Not a single seam left untouched.'
It was hard not to react to Pandimala's burst of embarrassment, mixed with excitement, as it came through the bond in a crashing wave. I still had it. However, I had to control my own reaction, as she responded. 'That had better be a promise.'
Fragging femme learned too quickly.
To help keep my thoughts off of the future, I focused back on Soundwave as the mech responded to the young mech. "Yes, you may." He then brought up the schematics for his alt mode on his visor. From what I remembered, he had modified the human MQ-9 Reaper drone to allow his propulsion system to be used and space to take passengers if need be. He probably made other modifications, but I wasn't given access to those. Honestly, I didn't need the data on those. I'd never use it, and I was sure Pandimala was given a copy for her medical records on the newspark.
Once the young mech's chassis finished adjusting to his new scan data, he glanced up at Soundwave. "For my designation, I will be known as Arzen," Arzen. It was a unique designation, especially for the newspark to pick. I couldn't pinpoint a precise meaning behind the designation, meaning its future use would be solely defined by the young mech before us. It was not an easy task, but the mech would have help as long as he asked for it.
Soundwave nodded toward the mech. They must have discussed his designation choice before this solar. "Arzen. I will oversee your flight training, and we will continue to work with Skywarp to make sure that you continue to advance in your other training as well as this new one."
Arzen smiled and nodded back to Soundwave before putting his visor back over his faceplate and moving back to where he had been standing. Once he was settled, Bryce spoke again. "Very well. With that over, you will return to your quarters and relax for the solar. And we are serious; no transforming without your trainers' approval. From what I was told, you will begin training at eight tomorrow, so make sure to get your rest." He then smiled. "And congratulations, all of you."
Now that this meeting was over, I had a detailing date with my bondmate that I was not missing for the universe!
Pandimala: *Glances at the table* Although it was a surprise to find out that you can cook, this is something entirely amazing.
Knockout: *stuck in shock*
Authoress: *facepalms* Look, it isn't that much of a surprise. Really! I just so happen to be able to bake a little better than I can cook.
Pandimala: Yes, but that takes focus and time management. You seem to struggle in both of those categories.
Knockout: You can cook, and you can bake. I don't believe it.
AN: And here it is, folks! Thank you so much for reading this story along with my other works. I do appreciate it so much! Now, this chapter went a lot longer than I thought it would. But I can't say I'm upset with it. We are starting to see that Jack is creating a hole for himself that he may not be able to get out of. While the bots understand trauma, the Decepticons literally had nothing to do with that. What's more, they helped save his aft, and that doesn't count for anything? At least give the bots a shot to show they are trying to help him.
Thankfully, the other four seem to be moving forward quickly. That will be good for the future. MECH will come after them sooner rather than later, with more enemies on the horizon. But, for now, we'll stick with MECH.
I don't want to get too much into the chapter, but I can't end this without mentioning that we finally get their bot names. I had reasons for making each one when I made them, and I remember the meaning for most of them, but for the life of me, I can't remember how I made Raf's. I almost changed it for that reason, but Arzen was calling me back.
And that is all I'm going to say for now. So, here are the names of the next chapters!
Chapter 9: Roadbumps
Chapter 10: Resurgence
Chapter 11: ...(*dark laughter fills the sky* find out next time!)
To make you all feel hopeful this story will keep moving, I have the chapters outlined up to chapter fifteen (with sixteen partially done) and the names of the rest of the chapters. So, I should be able to get this caught up sooner rather than later, and then I can work on all of my stories again.
Again, thank you so much for interacting with my stories! I do appreciate it a lot. Until next we meet, TTYL! *listening to Green Green Grass by George Ezra*